Civil War: Connecticut Answers Call To Action

JULIE STAGIS, jstagis@courant.com

On April 15, 1861, just days after the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers. Connecticut was required to supply one regiment.

Men from all over the state responded in droves to a proclamation by Gov. William A. Buckingham. In a matter of weeks, the state had filled three infantry regiments with 2,394 soldiers.

"When the opening shots were fired on April 12, 1861, the reaction in Connecticut among many people was one of outrage," said Walter L. Powell, a historian based in Gettysburg, Pa. "Even many residents who weren't thrilled with the idea of a war to end slavery were upset that the American flag had been fired on."

An article in the Hartford Daily Courant on April 23 detailed an enthusiastic response from all over the state.

Four companies, "two Irish, one American and one German," had formed in Meriden. The New London Bank offered $2,500 to Buckingham for the war, and "the town is wide awake and full of enthusiasm," the article said.

In Norwich, "The beating of drums, marching and drilling of military companies, the display of flags and fluttering of bunting, the presence of unusual crowds in all the streets, the hum of labor where the uniforms of volunteers were being made, the earnestness and enthusiasm that seemed to animate the multitude, all combined to make such a sabbath that will long be remembered," read the article, titled "The War Feeling In The State."

On April 23, the first regiment of the Connecticut Volunteer Infantry was mustered for three months of service. By May 14, the second and third regiments were set.

Joseph R. Hawley, an editor at the Hartford Evening Press, was arguably the very first volunteer in the state, said Matthew Warshauer, a history professor at Central Connecticut State University and author of "Connecticut in the Civil War: Slavery, Sacrifice and Survival."

"When Hawley hears the word of Fort Sumter being fired upon, he literally puts down what he's doing and says, 'I'm going to help raise a regiment,' " Warshauer said.

Hawley helped recruit volunteers for the 1st Connecticut Regiment, and started as the first lieutenant of Rifle Company A of Hartford. At the end of three months, Hawley re-enlisted with the 7th Connecticut Regiment, eventually becoming a major general.

Hawley served through the entire war, Warshauer said, and the staunch Republican became governor in 1866. He was later elected to Congress and served as a U.S. senator from 1881 until his death in 1905.

At first, most people believed the war would be a quick one.

"[The first few regiments] are only mustered in for three months," Warshauer said. "That really gives you a great indication of how long people think this is going to be — that it's going to be this quickie thing".

Of course, they were wrong. The war lasted until 1865 and about 620,000 soldiers were killed.

"On the eve of the Civil War, neither the North nor the South could anticipate that this would be such a long war and that there would be such a demand for weapons and that the nature of warfare was going to change," Powell said.

The early troops were not well-prepared to fight. The combination of colonial-era battle tactics and new, powerful weapons made this conflict "the last of the old wars and the first of the new ones," Powell said.

"Initially there are all kinds of issues in the camps," Warshauer said. "[The volunteers] have to be organized and put into uniforms and taught how to fire their weapons. It becomes a real challenge because these are civilians and they're expected to be soldiers."

In early May, the Connecticut regiments boarded steamships and headed for the nation's capital.

"The big emergency is to get troops down to Washington because they're worried that the confederacy is going to march on Washington," Warshauer said. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd Connecticut regiments were all stationed around Washington, D.C.

On July 21, the three regiments took part in the first Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Va., their only battle, and the first major battle of the war. It was an unexpected, shocking defeat for the Union troops.

"One of the problems was, not only that they didn't expect the scale of the kind of battle they'd be in — both sides were not very well-prepared and casualties were a quick reminder that the war wouldn't be over in a few days — but also that better training, more men and better weapons would be needed," Powell said.

Warshauer said: "The really interesting thing is Bull Run is in mid- to late July, so [the regiments'] service is close to being up … And they're all itching to go [and win the battle]. And then they go down and get demolished and the union retreats, and they lose the battle."

Sgt. John Marsh, a member of the 3rd Connecticut regiment from Danbury, was the first combat casualty from the state, Powell said.

"The realities of war were made even clearer when the troops who had enlisted for three months returned home," Warshauer said in his book. "When the men of the First Regiment clambered off the 'Elm City' steamship on the morning of July 28, the Courant reported, 'The men presented the most dusty, tired and ragged aspect that we have ever witnessed in a large body of men. They went off with new and bright uniforms, wearing a martial and imposing aspect; they came back ragged and dirty.'"

When reports of the severity of the battle reached home, "both sides realized they're going to need to take the war more seriously," Powell said. Arms manufacturers ramped up production, and troops had to train further on new weapons.

"The standard for both sides was really European military tactics — to march in formation, to fight in formation," Powell said. "In 1861, the new weapons — rifles — had an effective killing range of 600 yards. The ability of the officers to even comprehend what they were using hadn't really caught up.

"They're used to American Revolution weapons [that could shoot 100 yards]. They could walk across an open field because the opponent would have to be pretty close." In addition, heavy artillery such as mortars caused levels of destruction that had not yet been seen.

Troops from both sides continued to see unprecedented casualties, shocking them with the realities of war. Four Connecticut regiments fought in the Battle of Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, the single bloodiest battle in American history, with 23,100 casualties.

"There are more men on both sides who are killed on that day than on any other day in American history," Warshauer said.

By that time, the state had many more regiments. The 8th, 11th, 14th and 16th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry regiments all took part at Antietam.

"The 14th and 16th Connecticut regiments were brand-new regiments coming into service," Warshauer said. "They had really, really limited training, and the first battle they fought in was Antietam. They got decimated and it was really, really sad. So that was their first experience of war.

"When they are first going into it, there's all that kind of inexperienced excitement — flags flying in, going after the rebels. Though it's considered a Union victory, there's so much bloodshed."

The divisions had been mustered into service on Aug. 17 and Aug. 23, 1862, respectively.

After Antietam, Samuel Fiske, a minister from Madison and member of the 14th regiment, wrote that he could walk across the battlefield without ever touching the ground because there were so many wounded and dead men, Warshauer said.

Months later, in December, the 14th went fought in the Battle of Fredericksburg, another devastating Union loss.

"The story of the 14th in particular — their first experiences of war are just horrible," Warshauer said.

By 1863, the enthusiasm of the initial volunteers had waned. Images of valor and victory had been replaced by ones of extreme hardship and tragic defeat.

"By the midpoint in the war, the casualties were getting horrific and people weren't signing up," Powell said.

At that point, Connecticut had mustered 28 regiments into service, with the 28th assembled on Nov. 15, 1862.

On March 3, 1863, Lincoln signed the Enrollment, or Conscription, Act, instating the first draft in U.S. history, about a year after the confederacy did the same.